


Inhale, exhale

by livinginadaydream (orphan_account)



Category: Disney RPF, Jonas Brothers
Genre: Angst, Disturbia AU, Horror, Incest, M/M, Pre-Slash, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-25
Updated: 2010-08-25
Packaged: 2017-10-13 11:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/137070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/livinginadaydream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick thinks his neighbor might be the source of all the murders taking place near his small town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inhale, exhale

Living in the burbs can be tough for teenagers to deal with. From the mundane to having a gossip train following where everyone goes, it's almost unbearable some days. When news starts coming through television waves of murders near the area, a possible serial killer on the hunt for new victims, it can really get to people. Minds start coming up with scenarios just to pass the time. When things solidify in the mind, they become reality.

It's especially hard when a sixteen-year-old has been grounded to the house for the entire summer for supposedly popping some girl's cherry when he did nothing of the sort. When the reason she stopped coming around in the first place wasn't because she felt awkward about the sex they'd had at a too-young age, but because he broke up with her for not understanding that he didn't want to take any relationship that far until he was sure he was in love. Parents could be incredibly unreasonable and assuming. It probably didn't help that his oldest brother had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, but the guy was twenty-one when it happened, and just after turning twenty-two, he'd be married to her. By law he had every right, and just because their father was a preacher, Nick didn't think that gave him any right to be upset that Kevin had found love in Danielle. They were becoming grandparents for God's sake and if they couldn't just be happy for that, Nick didn't know what _could_ make them happy.

Most likely, it didn't make them happy that their other son Joseph, almost twenty, was still living at home and going to a community college versus a well-recognized university. They tried to smile about it, at first anyway, when Joe informed them of his plans. That was back when they thought there was a chance that he'd just spend a semester there and then move on. He'd completed his second year, however, and when they had asked him if he had planned on going to some school on the east coast to complete his degree, he told them he already completed his degree. His Associate's Degree. Which by the way, was completely unacceptable, and when he explained to them that he didn't have a white-collar job lined up just yet, they almost kicked him out of the house before Kevin offered to take Joe in and they became afraid this would lead their next son in line to impregnating a girl as well. Tricky business, getting the children to do what they wanted...

For the most part, it was good for Nick that Joe was home. He loved Joe; he was his best friend, but his brother had made a lot of friends in his classes, so Joe was occupied a lot of the time, running around and spending the pay checks from his job at the local supermarket. It wasn't good pay, but for his age, it wasn't horrible either. A lot of times, Nick would find himself encouraging Joe to save his money to move out on his own, but it was mostly for selfish reasons, to get Joe to stay home with him more often, and Joe was well aware of that fact. That being the case, accompanied by the fact he loved Nick so damn much, he tried to spend less time out during the summer so Nick wouldn't get super bored, and when he did go out, he'd pick up a milkshake for his little brother on the way home.

Tonight, however, Joe was out hanging at a friends house not too far away. Still, it left Nick alone in the house while his parents went out and treated Frankie to a movie that had animated bears who constantly ate broccoli and green beans to stay healthy and strong, who ran a secret spy operative and somehow knew more about computers than the creator himself. Spy movies weren't so bad, but indoctrination when the kid was only eight was kind of harsh. It wasn't _bad_ indoctrination, just... not entirely _fair_. What about the bears who ran carnivals and ate cotton candy? Oh yeah, they were the ones who got trampled over by the spies chasing the thief who thought it would be great to hideout as a Carnie because seriously, just anyone can handle the trapeze, no really.

Nick did as much as he could to broaden Frankie's horizon when his parents weren't looking, introducing him to different music, passing the torch to Joe who would show Frankie books, and even _more_ different music. They didn't make him, told him repeatedly if he didn't want to look at books or listen to their music, they could do something else, but Frankie was pretty cool, pretty into it, and whenever his mom let him get online and click around a few places with headphones in his ears, he'd always come back and show _Joe and Nick_ new music, which was awesome.

What wasn't awesome? Sitting alone in his bedroom, looking through a magazine he'd stolen from Joe's room because his mom had decided to cancel _everything_. iTunes? Gone. The cable receiver in his room? Gone. He could just go down to the living room and watch t.v. downstairs, but after almost a whole day of laying down, it hurt to even think about getting up. Plus, he'd taken up the habit of people-watching, which was far more exhilarating from one spot than he could have hoped. In fact, he was ninety percent certain his neighbors directly across the street were having problems with their marriage, mostly because while the husband was out winning bread, she was up in their room fucking some guy who looked a bit like a male stripper he'd seen on a commercial one late night. He didn't watch them passed the shirts being ripped off, because that would have been a bit much, but he knew what they were doing up there; it didn't take a genius.

Other than that interesting tidbit of information, Nick had found himself following one of his other neighbors. At one point he had Joe browsing through the guys' car while Selena kept track of him while he was shopping at the store. For shovels. Because he was definitely planning on burying bodies somewhere. Because he was a murderer. The guy had even cornered Sel when he saw that she was watching him, and Nick almost had a heart attack just hearing about it, knowing he'd put her in that situation. He wanted to call the cops, but both Joe and Selena had told him that they didn't have enough cause. Eventually Nick had seen their point, felt stupid for even suggesting it, but he couldn't help the feeling that this guy was trouble, seriously bad news, and the way he had talked to Selena sort of solidified that for him. He couldn't blame her for being scared and worried, but he wasn't going to drop it like she suggested. When Joe had clapped him on the back and turned to leave till the early hours of the morning, Nick had faked a smile so that Joe would think he wouldn't get up to trouble when alone.

Usually he was a pretty good kid, followed the rules, made up some of his own just to keep himself in check, but there was literally nothing else to do, and what if his neighbor did kill people for a hobby? It was his obligation as a citizen, or something, to keep on the look out for suspicious behavior. That's what he told himself anyway, when he set up the cam-corder that night, set his bino's on the bookshelf in front of his window that looked over the fence and into his neighbor's living room. Earlier he had tried to get Selena to come over when he saw a car pull up with a girl in it, but she had given him an adamant no, told him to drop it already because it was only going to get him into trouble. For a while it just seemed like a normal date, or as normal as a date could be when a knock-out like her was with a guy like him... For a minute, Nick's heart rate had picked up and he almost panicked when his neighbor held up a knife and came up to her back, but then he'd simply cut off a tag that hung from her dress.

By the time anything interesting happened again, Nick almost drifted to sleep, but then a scream had caught his attention, his eyelids pulling up so that he could see. Wiping furiously at his eyes with the backs of his hands, Nick picked up his cam-corder and turned it on, pointing it at the house in no particular direction until his eyes caught sight of her. His breath hitched as her running through the hall way as another scream peeled from her lips like paint from a wall when exposed to a toxic gas. After a second of not being able to think, he made certain that the camera was on her, following her. He watched her with his own eyes as his hand followed naturally after her path through the home. One fist clenched over the bookshelf as he watched her pound against the back door, screaming to get out. He nearly dropped the camera when he heard his phone ringing from the other side of his bedroom as he gasped, eyes widening as he lost track of the woman in the house. His breathing stopped completely when his gaze turned to a window on the same side of the house, and there he was, that murderous bastard just looking at him. Nick wondered, in that moment, if tonight would be his last night alive. Quickly he dropped to the floor as if that could take back the fact he'd already been caught watching. The phone went off once more, and he nearly sprawled himself over the floor in attempt to reach it, to get to whoevers' voice would be on the other end.

"Hey Nick-o, coming home in about an hour. You want strawberry tonight, or maybe cho-"

"Joe!" Nick gasped out, squeezing his eyes tight as he heard the banging of a door somewhere. He felt like his heart stopped the very second it hit against the inside of his chest, but then he inhaled again, and wasn't dead, so he opened his eyes and lifted the camera that felt sealed to his other hand, slowly rising to his knees and scrambling over to the window as he stood, back bent over in a hunch. "Joe, Joe, Joe, stop, wait, okay!"

"Nick? Nicky what's wrong? Are you okay?"

It was almost comforting to hear the concern in Joe's voice, the eagerness to know that his little brother was okay. It only helped for a second before he heard another loud bang, sounding even closer to him. "Oh Jesus," he breathed out, staring wide-eyed out his window from where his head peeked over the edge.

"Nick! What is it?! You're freaking me out. _What's going on_?" Nick just hushed him over the phone, Joe making these slightly whining noises as he did so. Nick could distantly hear his brother turning to a friend and telling her to please be quiet, Nick was on the line.

"Stay with me Joe, okay? Just stay with me?"

"Okay, I'm here Baby J, but..." Nick hushed him again, so he quieted. Slowly Nick raised himself up more, and he saw an outline of a girl through his curtain. She was rushing, it looked like, and Nicks eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his mouth dropping open a little as he watched her climb into the car, watched the car pull around in the street and leave. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he remembered the phone gripped tightly in his hand as Joe screamed in his ear, "Nick! _What_ is _going_ on?!"

Breathing out again, Nick closed his eyes, shook his head as he gripped the bridge of his nose and then inhaled, releasing out a soft, "Nothing, Joe, sorry. I just thought - she's gone, now, I guess, and she's fine. I mean, she must be - fine. Alive." It was quiet and Joe had to press his ear to his cell to catch all of it before he breathed out roughly himself.

"You fucking scared me, Nicky. Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry... I'm fine. Just - you're coming home soon?" Nick asked hopefully, ignoring how young he knew his voice sounded as he dropped into his computer chair heavily, the thud of his spine against the leather seeming dull through the thrum of blood rushing through his ears. He smiled softly as Joe scoffed at him through the phone.

"I'm coming home _now_ ," he told Nick with an air of finality. Still, Nick raised his eyebrows to protest, and before he could say anything about it, Joe clicked his tongue and continued. "Don't even think about telling me to stay. You're too wrapped into this, and I am never getting a phone call like that from you again, you hear me? I'm coming home now, and we're figuring out how to make sure you're safe. I don't care what happened, or what didn't. We're fixing this, Nicky. Now go make sure the door is locked, and every window in that damn house, and don't remove your phone from your side until I'm home." Nick nodded carefully, stricken, slightly, by how incredibly serious and commanding Joe was sounding, his heart beating a little faster at the sound of it, one way different from another. "Okay?" Joe asked sounding tested.

That snapped Nick awake. "Yeah, Joe, thanks..."

"Love you Nicky."

"I love you too Joe. Soon, okay?"

"I'm already half way there," Joe told him reassuringly, and Nick could hear the smile over the phone, smiled back at it. He clicked his phone shut and immediately ran to the door to check it. Locked. He checked every window just like Joe said, carrying his cell in his hand the entire time. When he was done, he ended up lying on top of his bed waiting, forcing himself to breathe normally until he heard a car door shut outside. For half a second, his stomach churned until he felt ill, but then the front door shut (he couldn't hear the click of the lock from up in his room) and he sat up in bed, clutching his phone to his palm before he heard the knock at his bedroom door, and a familiar voice that had his shoulders dropping, his eyes lighting up. "Nick, kiddo, you in there?"

"Yeah!" he called out, rushing over to his door and opening it at the same time as Joe started pushing it open. Before he even had a real chance to take his brother in, his eyes could only see the soft, black waves of Joe's hair, and the feel of arms protectively wrapped around his middle had him tightening his arms around Joe's shoulders even tighter. "Thank you for coming home. I'm sorry. Sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted, but -" Joe shushed _him_ this time.

"What are you talking about Nick? Like you could ever interrupt anything I'm involved with." Joe pulled out of the hug when Nick loosened his grip, but only slid his hand down Nick's arm, kicked the door closed behind them, and walked Nick over to the bed where he sat down and pulled Nick down next to him, thigh to thigh, arm around his little brother's shoulder, before fingers curved over his shoulder blade, and he pulled them both down until they were laying there on top of the sloppily addressed bed spread. Joe turned his face into Nick's when he heard the soft 'oomph' and then giggle that followed. He leaned in the short distance and pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead. When Nick tilted his head up, looking at Joe with adoring eyes, his natural impulse (which he followed) told him to press a kiss to Nick's lips, and tighten his grip on Nick's shoulder when Nick pressed back into him. "You scared me," Joe whispered across Nick's lips when they both pulled away just a centimeter, looking each other in the eyes.

"Sorry," Nick whispered back quickly. "I didn't know what to do. I had to watch - Joe, I thought he was killing her," he said honestly, his voice _just_ hinting at the fear he'd felt during the whole ordeal.

Joe tugged, at that, Nick until his little brother's body complied and rolled over half on top of his own, Nick's head burying into Joe's neck, a light kiss placed to his collar-bone as a helpless smile broke across his face. "I'm sleeping in here."

"Good." It was just a rumble against his chest. Nick's body was growing heavy over his own with sleep.

"Not just tonight, Nick?"

"However long you want." It was barely a breath against his shirt now.

"Forever?"

A small chuckle erupted over the top of him, and Nick pulled his head lazily out from its spot tucked into his older brother's body. "At some point, I think we should leave. In fact, since I graduated this year, and mom just refuses to acknowledge it because she doesn't want to let me out of her sight, I think we should leave _soon_." His voice was playful, but Joe watched carefully, face still serious from his subtle admissions, as Nick looked hesitantly over to his bedroom window and gulped inaudibly. Joe lifted a hand to Nick's face and thumbed gently at the crease between Nick's lower lip and the protrusion of his chin, calling his brother's attention back to him. "Joe," Nick's voice cracked, all hint of a smile gone from his face, "I'm scared." Joe took both hands then and cradled the back of Nick's head as he slipped his fingers into Nick's soft curls before pulling him back into his safe spot.

"Okay baby... We'll leave soon. Okay? Soon. I'll save up some money -"

"-And I'll convince mom and dad that working doesn't count as breaking a grounding because it teaches responsibility -"

"- Yeah, that," Joe said laughing a little, letting one hand slip down over Nick's neck to rub circles into his back as Nick's arms tucked into either side of his body, "And when we have enough, we're out of here. You and me."

"Me and you."

"Exactly."

"Joe?"

"Yeah?" he asked gently, hearing the utter exhaustion in Nick's voice as his name was voiced.

"Can we get a place where our neighbors don't - don't - "

"I'll run background checks on each and every one of 'em."

"Thanks." Joe turned his head up just a bit so that he could place a kiss on his brother's temple, hugged him closer, and nuzzled his nose into Nick's hair, noticing how it was slightly sweaty.

"I'm sorry you were scared..." he whispered into the nearly-asleep boys' ear. Nick placed one more barely-there kiss to Joe's collar bone before he fell asleep.


End file.
